Cobalt - 27Co: uses
The following uses for cobalt are gathered from a number of sources as well as from anecdotal comments. I would be delighted to receive corrections as well as additional referenced uses.
- alloyed with iron, nickel and other metals to make Alnico, an alloy of unusual magnetic strength with many important uses (jet engines and gas turbine engines)
- used in magnet steels and stainless steels
- used in alloys used in jet turbines and gas turbine generators
- used in electroplating because of its appearance, hardness, and resistance to oxidation
- salts are used for the production of brilliant and permanent blue colours in porcelain, glass, pottery, tiles, and enamels
- cobalt-60, an artifical isotope, is an important γ ray source, and is extensively used as a tracer and a radiotherapeutic agent. Single compact sources of 60Co are readily available
- compounds are used as paint pigments